This invention concerns a cover that seals and protects electrical junctions made using wire-sockets from their outside environment. Wire-sockets are connecting devices used to join two or more wires together in an electrically insulated junction. They are widely used in household wiring, and for wiring in many other environments. A wire-sockets generally consists of a fristo-conical plastic body penetrated in one end by a conical bore. The bore houses a corresponding spring-wire helix which fits conformally to the interior surface of the bore, and which is fixed within the bore. In operation, two or more were ends from which the insulation has been stripped are forced into the bore, and hence into the wire helix. The wire ends are firmly held fixed while the nut is rotated in the direction that advances them into the helix. The spiral spring-wire of the helix acts as an engaging thread. When the wire-sockets is thus tightened into place, the wire ends to be connected are both electrically and mechanically joined by the wire helix acting within the bore of the socket.
The insulation of the wire protects it from electrical contact with other objects up to the point where it enters the socket, and the plastic socket itself similarly protects the stripped wire ends now contained within it from contact with the outside environment.
In this system, however, there is no protection against moisture entering the interior of the socket, and thereby allowing electrical leakage through the moisture to the outside environment. In the case of actual submersion or bathing of the socket in water, a complete electrical short-circuit may occur. Since wire-sockets are often used in damp or wet environments such as for outdoor signs, outdoor lighting, waterpump motors and so on, one often sees wire-sockets junctions wrapped with electrical insulating tape or imbedded in insulating putty in an attempt to waterproof them. But these make-do remedies are fairly difficult to apply, and are frequently neither effective nor permanent. One problem is that many popular wire types have insulating jackets made of materials such as polyethylene or polytetrafluoroethylene, to which adhesives do not adhere well. So in these cases, the above sealing methods do not form a truly watertight seal against the wire. Still another disadvantage of these traditional means of sealing wire-sockets junctions is that if the junction needs to be undone temporarily, or needs to be inspected, said means are often difficult to clean off of the junction. And then, once removed, new material must be used to replace the protection.
There is a need, therefore, for a systematic means to reliably seal wire-sockets electrical junctions from their outside environment in all circumstances. The invention herein described addresses that need. Its principal objective is to provide a simple and effective means of permanently waterproofing wire-sockets junctions, even in the event that such junctions are completely submerged in water. A second objective is to provide such a protective means which may be used equally well on wires with all types of jacket materials. Still another objective is to provide such a protective means that may be easily opened and removed for inspection of the enclosed junction, and then reinstalled for continued protection.